State of the Rockies
NewWest.Net Conferences
Designing the New West
The Designing the New West: Architecture and Landscape in the Mountain West Conference is wrapping up here in Bozeman at the historic Gallatin Gateway Inn. Put on by NewWest.Net and sponsored by the Sonoran Institute, the conference brought together designers from all over the country to explore innovative design ideas, identify best practices, and better understand how to bridge the gap between good architectural theory and sometimes-messy building practices in the fastest growing region in the nation.
A mix of presentations and engaging panel discussions tackled pressing Western issues like sustainable development, land design and the special challenges of urban, rural and resort design, historic preservation and affordable housing.
Click on the photo or here for a slideshow of the days' events. Click "more" for a recap of the conference.
Introducing...
A New Magazine: The New West
The best way to check out The New West magazine is to subscribe. We want to know who’s interested in The New West, so we have made the magazine available free to qualified subscribers who answer a short questionnaire.
In the Spring Issue and online here:
- Montana’s Cash Cowboy
- Real Ranch Living: Not Everyone is Selling Out
- Essay: The Family Farm, Version 2.0
- Essay: Tracks Across A Landscape
- Have Your Ranch & Develop It, Too
- Design Showcase: The Big and Little of Western Building
- Stuff It: Can Wolf Hunting Help Conserve the Species?
- Traffic Perplexes New Western Communities
- Boise in Its Own Little Bubble
- Revenge of the Resource Economy
- Spotlight North Idaho: On the Agenda: Youth, Growth & Silver
- Spotlight North Idaho: Players of the Panhandle
- Spotlight North Idaho: Coeur d’Alene Tribe Rides the Idaho Boom
More State of the Rockies
State OF THE ROCKIES REPORT
Report Examines Population Growth in the WestEighty-three percent of Rockies citizens live in the region’s urban centers. At the rapid pace at which the region is growing, the character of our cities largely defines the character of the region as a whole. Last week at the 2007 State of the Rockies Conference, renowned New Urbanist Peter Calthorpe, along with Mark Johnson of Civitas and Mark Tremmel of the Colorado Architecture Partnership discussed opportunities for New Urbanist projects and revitalizing the region’s urban centers.
The 2007 State of the Rockies Report Card feature on population growth and housing developments offers some startling population statistics. The eight-state Rocky Mountain West grew 9% from 2000 to 2005. Within this population influx is “boom within a boom,” as the 65+ population in the region grew more than 45 percent over the same time period—more than twice the growth rate of any region in the U.S. In addition to the New Urbanist developments discussed at the conference, the 2007 State of the Rockies Report Card looks at the emergence of retirement communities and gated communities in the West. We invite you to read the whole report here (PDF), and further the discussion on NewWest.Net.
STATE OF THE ROCKIES REPORT
Annual Conference Kicks off With Talks of Water DoomsdayThe 2007 State of the Rockies Conference commenced on Monday in the atrium of Armstrong Hall, on the campus of Colorado College in Colorado Springs, and from the opening remarks onward, the speakers all seemed to want to make a few things clear: this report was primarily written by a talented group of undergraduates and a team of professors; climate change is affecting almost every issue covered in the report; and the future of the Rocky Mountain region is mired in uncertainties surrounding growth.
But Day 1 really began to cook during the first panel on water sustainability. Attendees packed the room and, following panelists’ presentations, the audience threw tough questions at the speakers. At that opening panel, presenters outlined water projects and tactics to provide water for growing cities in the West. Following those presentations, audience members grilled the panelists about growth issues. Toward the end, the discussion touched on what might happen when growth outpaces supplies.
stATE OF THE ROCKIES REPORT
Study Examines Forest Health in the Rockies
Forest lands in the Rockies an integral element to the scenic beauty, economy, and environmental quality of the region. But what is the current condition of our Region’s forests? Fire suppression and disease have resulted in over-dense and diseased stands of trees. Compounding the dilemma, human development is encroaching forest lands; this growing region is called the Wildland Urban Interface, and it is expected to double over the next 20 years.
The 2007 State of the Rockies Report Card takes on the challenge of assessing forest health in the Rocky Mountain West. The analysis finds that over 21 million acres of forest in the West are diseased (defined as over 25% disease presence), and presents the ten most diseased counties in terms of relative forest acres and total diseased acres. Also included in our study of forest health is an analysis of forest fire risk around human development. By intersecting the Wildland Urban Interface with the forest lands most departed from their natural range of variability (Fire Regime Condition Class III), we have determined the counties most susceptible to fire near human development. Maps of diseased acres in the West, the Fire Regime Condition Class, and the Wildland Urban Interface, are located in the full State of the Rockies Report accessed through the link below. We encourage the citizens of the Rockies to discuss the implications of these findings, as well as policies related to the management of forests in the West.
To download the full forest report (PDF), click here.
State of the Rockies Report
Report Analyzes Agriculture’s Effect on Urban West’s Water SupplyWater is a scarce resource in the West, and allocation of that resource is a source of dispute throughout the region. As forces of change affect the Rockies, namely prolonged drought and rapid population growth, it is likely that the current distribution regime will also change. The 2007 State of the Rockies Project, a faculty and undergraduate collaborative research initiative sponsored by Colorado College, explores national and regional water use trends, and examines the affects of agriculture to urban water transfers.
Water use in the Rockies is dominated by irrigation—87 percent of total use compared to 34 percent nationally. As the Rockies Region’s population continues to grow, to the tune of 9% from 2000 to 2005—4.5 times the national growth rate, demands on public supply use will also grow. From 1985 to 2000, public supply withdrawals in this region grew 45 percent. The majority of growth in public supply use occurs in Rockies metropolitan centers, as 83% of the region resides in urban areas. Given the current water situation in the West, what is the role of agricultural to urban water transfers, and what are the implications on small farms and surrounding communities?
These questions are addressed in the 2007 State of the Rockies Report Card. Click here to read a PDF of the the full version of the water sustainability section of the report, and we encourage you to further the discussion and engage in thoughtful dialog on water in the West.
Author Interview
How Republicans Lost the West
Ryan Sager is a columnist for the New York Post. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Reason, National Review, and the Atlantic Monthly. He is also the author of The Elephant in the Room, Evangelicals, Libertarians, and the Battle to Control the Republican Party. Writing before the midterm elections, Sager predicted that the Republican shift towards Southern values—religion, morality and tradition, as he sees it—would cost the party in the West where people tend to put more value on freedom, independence and privacy. I interviewed Sager, who lives in Brooklyn, on Thursday, December 21st.
Down and Out in Las Vegas
Lost your job? Living on the streets? Don’t come to Vegas. Lately, according to an article by Lynette Curtis in Las Vegas’ Review-Journal, the police have been seizing the shopping carts homeless people use to transport their clothing, blankets and medication. Metropolitan Police Sergeant Damian Walburn said the individuals involved have been allowed to retain their possessions, but they say otherwise. Said 64-year-old Dane Jensen of his involvement with the police, “…Metro came up. They said, ‘these are all stolen. You can’t remove anything from them. If you do, you’ll be prosecuted.”
Guest Commentary
Shootout Over Idaho Wildernessby Tom von Alten
Larry Craig's opposition to the Wilderness bills from the other members of Idaho's Congressional delegation isn't a secret any more. The Idaho Statesman's editorial board revealed it on Dec. 1st, describing his "conditional" support: all the money promised in the bills has to be paid up front to satisfy our senior singing Senator. The board admits "a certain logic" to the requirement and it even sounds like a sensible test for any piece of legislation, until you consider how often it isn't done.
Former Governor Dirk Kempthorne's big highway maneuver using GARVEE bonds to put payment far into the future (and, as always, on the Fed's tax bill, to insulate us from immediate pain). The mmm, Iraq war. ("We have no idea what this is going to cost. Couldn't even make a guess.") The profound, structural, and far-reaching tax cuts that the Republicans used to bribe their way through the 2000, 2002, and 2004 elections. And so on.
The board writes that Craig "doesn't want one group to get what it wants—new wilderness—while other parties wait for the check to come in the mail." Excepting of course that no law makes "new wilderness"; the law designates protection for what's already there. (The proposed laws do a lot more than that in their particulars, some of which provide for removing protection elsewhere, which would no doubt proceed without waiting for funding also.)
The biggest problem here is the timing. Craig, after 26 years in Congress, is keenly aware that timing is crucial in politics. Here, it almost appears that he waited until the worst possible moment to introduce a potential deal-breaker.
Almost?!
